Extract from Issue#19 of Teaching Tuesdays@CSU
All issues of Teaching Tuesdays can be accessed through the folder at this link
Learning Assessment Techniques: How to Integrate New Activities that Gauge What and How Well Students Learn.
By Professor Elizabeth Barkley
Source: https://www.magnapubs.com/magna-commons/?video=14184
(See below for instructions on how to access the CSU free subscription to this resource).
The twofold aim of this 45-minute webinar was to:
- share the Learning Assessment Techniques (LAT) approach to subject-based, teacher-driven assessment; and
- demonstrate the application of three of these LATs.
With this week’s focus on Questions 11 & 15 of the SES in mind, the content of this webinar highlights planning and implementation of learning activities and assessment. The benefit to students is in the engaging nature of the tasks that allow students to bring their own experience to the context of the subject material for effective learning and development of lifelong learning skills.
Professor Barkley drew from her book Learning Assessment Techniques (Barkley & Major, 2017) for the content for the webinar. The LAT structure has three interconnected parts, symbolised by a trefoil knot diagram, integrating outcomes, teaching and assessment:
- Identify significant Learning Goals
- Implement effective Learning Activities
- Analyse and report on Learning Outcomes
The extensive supplementary material includes a list of 50 assessment techniques for a range of learning goals that have been mapped to the dimensions of Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning (Fink, 2013), namely Foundational Knowledge, Application, Integration, Human Dimension, Caring and Learn How to Learn.
The three example techniques reproduced from Barkley’s book demonstrate the range of considerations that can be used to evaluate proposed assessment techniques. These include the Purpose of the task, Key learning goals, Implementation strategies, Analysis and reporting, Examples of their use in different subjects, suggestions for Variations and extensions to the task, Task descriptions given to students, Rubrics, and relevant References.
Example 1: Contemporary Issues Journal in which students collect and analyse current articles connected to their subject material.
Example 2: Digital Story in which students use a range of computer-based tools to develop stories that situate their lived experience within the context of the topics in the subject.
Example 3: Personal Learning Environment in which students develop skills as independent and self-directed learners through identifying and reflecting on the range of tools and resources available for their current and future learning needs.
References available from CSU library
Barkley, E. F. (2009). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au
Barkley, E. F. (2018). Interactive lecturing: A handbook for college faculty. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au
Barkley, E. F., Cross, K. P., & Major, C. H. (2012). Collaborative learning techniques: A handbook for college faculty. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au
References from the webinar not available in CSU library
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Presentation handouts, full transcripts and supplementary resources are available for download from the Magna Commons website if you don’t have time to listen to the seminar.
